Sneak peek at winter 2013-2014 wrap-up

SUNDAY UPDATE: It was another chilly morning with a low at Palm Beach International Airport of 48. It was 51 in Palm Beach. Lows were mostly in the mid- to upper-40s in coastal Palm Beach County and Broward, but the low was 37 at the Big Cypress National Preserve off the Tamiami Trail east of Naples. It was also 37 in Palmdale in Glades County west of Lake Okeechobee. A slow warm-up begins today with a sunny high of 76 and a low tonight of 59. By Tuesday, it will be back up near 80 degrees with lows in the upper-60s to near 70. Highs in the 80s are expected into next weekend.

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ORIGINAL POST: Winters are short and sweet in Palm Beach and South Florida, and despite a few more cold snaps, it won’t be long before we’re looking at the 2013-2014 season in the rear view mirror.

Meteorological seasons are divided cleanly into months so there are only two weeks left in the Dec. 1 to Feb. 28 winter. It ain’t over till it’s over, as the great weather forecaster Yogi Berra used to say, but we can speculate a bit about what this one will look like once it’s in the record books.

The February cold spell that began on Thursday ratcheted down average temperatures for the month. After 12 days in a row with temps up to 11 degrees above average, Friday’s Palm Beach International Airport high of 69, and low of 44, cut deep into the monthly average by coming in at 11 degrees below average. With another cold front on the way tonight and Sunday, a string of four chilly days seems likely.

However, a return to weather at or near 80 degrees seems to be in the cards for next week, according to the National Weather Service in Miami. In fact, the commercial forecasting service AccuWeather is predicting a gradual warm-up culminating in highs in the mid-80s by next weekend, compared with normal highs of around 77 degrees. The NWS’ Climate Prediction Center also indicates an above-average end to the month.

Even if February goes out, during the final couple of days, with one more punch of cold air — which is in the AccuWeather forecast — the month is still likely to come in with above normal warmth. If it does, it would mean two out of three of South Florida’s winter months were warmer than average — and January was only very slightly below normal, with a shortfall of – 0.2 degrees.

December was 6.3 degrees above average, tying 1931 for the warmest on record. The average high was 80.7 degrees and the average low was 68.1.

So, it seems likely that in the final analysis winter 2013-2014 will have been warm — and wet. Average PBIA rainfall for the three months is 9.44 inches; 15.53 have already been recorded at the airport, much of that on the strength of an unusually wet January. December was also wetter than normal.

The NWS will no doubt have an official report in a few weeks. Also, the Climate Prediction Center is scheduled to issue a new spring forecast on Thursday.

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FINAL SNOW TOTALS: It was an epic storm that slammed the U.S. Southeast, the Mid-Atlantic and New England last week. In all, 20 states were impacted by snow with totals ranging from 1.2 inches in Jamestown, Tenn. to 28.5 inches in Pilot, Va., according to a NWS report.

An inch of ice fell in Tallulah, La.; as well as in Cross, Harleyville and Orangeburg, S.C. Winds gusted up to 54 mph in Rockport, Mass.

About the Author

John Nelander is a freelance writer, book editor and publisher in West Palm Beach. Weather Matters features news and observations about the weather with a focus on what's happening in South Florida. The blog also looks at the latest studies on climate change as well as what's happening in the weather forecasting biz. His website is www.pbeditorialservices.com.